The Baltimore Ravens whipped the NFC’s flavor of the week, the Detroit Lions, 38-6 on Sunday. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson showed why he is among the early season favorites in the MVP race.

THE NICKEL PACKAGE – FIVE QUICK HITTERS FROM SUNDAY:

1. THE EAGLES ARE LEGIT WHILE THE DOLPHINS ARE NOT (SORT OF): The Philadelphia Eagles pulled away from the Miami Dolphins last Sunday night to establish themselves as the NFC’s best team. The 31-17 win saw Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts shake off (?) a leg injury to throw a pair of touchdown passes, while the Dolphins were held to just 10 points on offense off of just eight possessions. While the Dolphins still look like the class of the AFC East for the moment, their two losses cause some suspicion regarding their Super Bowl chances. Both the Bills and Eagles manhandled the Miami offensive line. Eagles pass rushers sacked Tua Tagovailoa four times. Meanwhile, Eagles cornerback Darius Slay picked up a critical interception to thwart a potential Dolphins scoring drive in the fourth quarter. Miami’s next big next arrives on Sunday, November 5 when they head to Germany to face another stingy the defense – the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

By the way, how sweet were those kelly green throwback jerseys from the Eagles?!? Exquisite!

2. I WOULDN’T OVERREACT TO THE LIONS/RAVENS GAME…YET: The Lions have played one of the NFL’s easier slates to start the season. They got the Travis Kelce-less/Taylor Swift-less Chiefs in the opener and were nipped by the Seahawks in overtime in Week 2. Otherwise, they’ve had it easy. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens ended Detroit’s run of fun and frivolity last Sunday in a 38-6 drubbing in Baltimore. These are the Ravens that lost to the Steelers and Colts. Thus, it’s tough to get a read on just how good the Ravens are but we know this…Jackson is an MVP candidate. Questionable receivers aside, the Ravens are going as far as Jackson’s prodigious talents will take them along with some defense sprinkled in – and a maybe a little Derrick Henry on the side. Baltimore’s chances are buoyed by a helter skelter AFC North, which features three teams trying to battle inconsistency and injury. Meanwhile, the Lions should not be cast aside despite getting buried in Baltimore. They have five division games between Week 11 and the end of the season. If the NFC North stay as is, the Lions still may be able to steal the NFC’s second seed rather easily.

3. BUFFALO, WE HAVE A PROBLEM: The Bills dropped a tight contest to the NFL’s Zombie Dynasty – the New England Patriots, which marked the 300th win of Bill Belichick’s coaching career. Buffalo’s record fell to 4-3 and it appears they aren’t going to be able to survive the loss of linebacker Matt Milano and an assortment of other defensive talent. Since Milano suffered a season-ending injury during Buffalo’s loss to Jacksonville in London, they’ve been a shell of their former contender selves. Despite Miami’s struggles on Sunday night, the Bills are still in chase mode in the AFC East. If they can’t get their defense figured out, it’s hard to imagine them being in the playoffs, much less making a significant run in the AFC playoffs.

4. WILL PATRICK MAHOMES WIN MVP AGAIN?: With quarterbacks struggling to find their footing including the best player on the Eagles being a wide receiver (AJ Brown), this might be the best chance for a non-QB to win the MVP. While Tua Tagovailoa has been successful, the two losses to the Bills and Eagles are a bit of a black mark on his MVP resume at the moment. Also, much of his success can be tied to Tyreek Hill’s abilities. However, will Associated Press voters have the gumption to vote a non-QB MVP? It’s still a long shot. No receiver has ever won the award and Adrian Peterson was the last non-QB to win the award in 2012. You know that means? If the Chiefs have the best record again, expect a repeat win for Patrick Mahomes.

5. I’M GETTING A LITTLE WORRIED ABOUT THE 49ERS: The Vikings beat the 49ers on Monday night, which included Kirk Cousins throwing for nearly 400 yards in the win without Justin Jefferson. Elsewhere, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s play spiraled late with a game-ending interception. Perhaps, the reason for Purdy’s struggles can be tied to a concussion. The 49ers signalcaller was placed in concussion protocol on Wednesday after dealing with concussion-like symptoms on the plane ride for Minnesota. The injury arrives after two straight losses and with the surging Cincinnati Bengals visiting the Bay area on Sunday. Sam Darnold is expected to get the start. Falling two games behind the Eagles in the race for NFC home-field advantage could eventually make their December 3 meeting an exercise in futility.

TAYLOR SWIFT & BRITTANY MAHOMES ALREADY HAVE A SECRET HANDSHAKE:

Taylor Swift appeared at Sunday’s Chargers/Chiefs game. Yet again, future Hall of Famer and Chief Swiftie Travis Kelce went off again. Among Swift’s most fascinating moves over the past two months has been her budding friendship with Brittany Mahomes – wife of Patrick Mahomes. Last Sunday, they finally had a chance to show off their new handshake.

THE SPOT GODS SMILED UPON KENNY PICKETT:

The Steelers defeated the Rams in Los Angeles (or Pittsburgh West, whichever you prefer) with some controversy. Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett appeared to be stopped short on a sneak with just over two minutes left and Pittsburgh holding a seven-point lead. However, the Steelers got a very generous spot that was not overturned. As a result, Pittsburgh ran out the clock to win 24-17 since the Rams could not challenge the call.

CALEB WILLIAMS (OR SOMEONE ELSE) POWER RANKINGS:

1. CARDINALS
2. BEARS
3. BRONCOS
4. PATRIOTS
5. RAIDERS

OVERREACTIONARY POWER RANKINGS:

1. CHIEFS
2. EAGLES
3. 49ERS
4. RAVENS
5. LIONS

NEXT WEEK’S MAIN EVENT: Besides being a rematch to a pair of dramatic Super Bowls in the 80s, the Bengals and 49ers meet again with some reasonable stakes on Sunday. A 49ers win with likely starter Sam Darnold would end a two-game winning streak and send the Bengals to a sub-.500 record. A Bengals win would help pull them out of the AFC North cellar and send the 49ers to a third straight loss, which would lead to some pretty sizable questions by the Bay.